


SNEAK PEAK Strings

by That_Is_Americas_Ass



Series: Stranger Drabbles [12]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Sneak Peak, Upcoming Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:00:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21576433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_Is_Americas_Ass/pseuds/That_Is_Americas_Ass
Summary: The sneak peak preview for my upcoming multi-chapter work called Strings. A what-if story setting based on Stranger Things S3.What if.What if the Mind Flayer acted more like a symbiote rather than a parasite? What if the Mind Flayer only needed one host to spread it's sickness to others? What if it didn't attack Billy Hargrove?What if it chose someone younger, someone who could easily get close to Eleven? Someone who could blend in without causing suspicion?A child perhaps.What if the Mind Flayer...possessed Max, instead?What if...
Series: Stranger Drabbles [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1449595
Comments: 8
Kudos: 21





	SNEAK PEAK Strings

**Author's Note:**

> To everyone who has been following Stranger Drabbles, I AM SO SORRY!!! Life has been freaking crazy around my place lately, not gonna lie. Don't fret, fear not, Stranger Drabbles will soon continue! I promise! Still got a lot of works in the making. I just wanted to post SOMETHING to keep you guys happy. 
> 
> This is my Sneak Peak at my new upcoming fic called Strings. 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think!

Please Note: This is a SNEAK PEAK!!!

* * *

Please keep in mind that this concept is largely based off Ultron's use of the song I've Got No Strings which he sings during Avengers Age of Ultron. The theme music has a major role in this and will make it even better if you listen to it first. It is what inspired this idea. 

Avengers: Age Of Ultron - No Strings On Me (Ultron's Theme) - Trailer Music (FULL TRAILER VERSION)

* * *

"What took you so long?" Lucas groaned the second Mike jumped off his bike to meet the others at the mall. They were supposed to meet up half an hour ago! 

"We're gonna miss the opening," Will complained softly, annoyed that this was now the third time Mike had shown up late to hang out. 

Mike rolled his eyes and parked his bike in the rack, "Relax, I was with El."

"We know where you were, but why are you so late?"

"Because he was with El," Max said teasingly, leading the way into the mall. Will and Mike ran on ahead, leaving Lucas and Max to follow. 

"Let me guess, you were too busy smackin' lips with El to look at a clock," Lucas mocked while making kissy faces at Mike.

"Very mature, Lucas." Mike blushed, pushing Lucas away from him. 

_"Oh, El! I wish we could just hang out forever and never hang out with any of our friends!"_ Lucas cried dramatically, milking it for all it was worth. 

Max punched his shoulder and told him to stop as he and Will laughed at Mike. 

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. It's so funny that I want to spend romantic time with my girlfriend. Hysterical!" Mike sneered, annoyed with mocking. 

Lucas rolled his eyes, "I'm spending romantic time with my girlfriend right now, with my friends too!" 

Max and Will shared a look and sighed, knowing the other two would just continue to argue whether they got between them or not. 

It seemed that every time Mike was late because of El, Lucas would tease him mercilessly for it. It wasn't that he was trying to be mean or rude, it was just that he was kind of jealous of all the time Mike was spending with El instead of them. Mike and Lucas were best friends, always had been, and Lucas missed spending time with Mike. Unfortunately, Mike had spent the majority of his summer with Eleven, which wasn't a problem, but it had caused him to be late to everything else. 

It was getting a little old...

The kids rush to the lower level and head straight for the ice cream shop, Scoops Ahoy. Mike walked right up to the counter and started ringing the bell obnoxiously, smiling innocently at Robin who was clearly unamused. 

"Hey, dingus! Your children are here," Robin yelled, looking behind her as Steve slid open the back glass.

"Again? Seriously?" Steve grumbled, waving them all through the back door. This would be the third time they'd snuck into the movie theater through the back hallway. 

"I swear to god if anyone hears about this!" Steve warns them, slipping into his babysitter voice. 

"We're dead!" They all drone, rolling their eyes. 

Crowding into the packed theater, Max grabbed a double seat with Lucas right beneath Mike and Will, passing out their snacks to each other waiting for the movie. 

"See? Told you we'd make it," Mike whispered to Lucas, throwing him a bag of skittles. Lucas rolled his eyes and just ripped open his snack. 

Suddenly, the lights go out.

"Oh, come on!" Max whined, hearing the boys groan. Everyone in the theater clamored and people start throwing popcorn at the screen, thinking the movie is done for. 

Out in the Mall, Steve and Robin share a glance before trying the lights.

"That's not gonna work, dingus."

"Oh, really?" Steve flipped the switch again, and again, staring blankly. Robin just sighed and ignored him, shutting the open ice cream containers just in case the power didn't come back on. 

Outside, the street lights go out one by one, followed by house after house, building after building. Power shorts out across the entire town within a matter of minutes. 

"The hell happened?" Max questioned, looking back at Mike and Will to see them just as confused. Did the theater lose power or the whole mall? The kids all shared a look and wondered for a brief moment if the power outage could have meant something, but then the lights flickered and came back on. The movie reel spun back to life, lighting up the screen making everyone cheer before sitting back down to enjoy the movie. 

Almost everyone. 

Will felt an odd sensation creeping up his spine causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up stiffly, like something was crawling into his head. His breath hitched and he almost felt like he would spiral into a panic. 

"Will?"

Will jumped when Mike leaned over to him, watching him closely with concerned eyes. Will hadn't even heard him move, too preoccupied with trying to understand what just happened to him. 

"Are you okay?" Mike asked softly, seeing the sheen of sweat across Will's pale skin.

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay."

"You sure? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, Mike. Really," Will stated reassuringly, even though his heart was still pounding. His neck was still tingling oddly. 

"We don't have to stay if you don't want to. You sure you're up for this?"

"Of course," he smiled, stealing a piece of Mike's candy. 

Mike gave him another skeptical look before turning back to the screen. 

Will gently brushed the back of his neck again to try and wipe away the feeling, trying to ignore the weird tingle up his spine. He had a bad feeling that something horrible was going to happen. 

Maybe it already had.

* * *

_I've got no strings_

_To hold me down_

_To make me fret_

_Or make me frown..._

* * *

As the people of Hawkins begin to question the sudden strange outage, at that same moment across town in an abandoned factory, rats began to pour down the stairwell into the dark basement in hoards. Something is calling them in, like an inaudible sirens call, bringing them forth. The ground began to tremble, minuscule cracks along the concrete floor breaking open to reveal a new entity. A darkness slowly emerged itself from the depths to take shape on the surface. 

It had been asleep for too long. 

It needed to wake, it need to feed, it _needed..._

The filthy rats all squeaked as they crawled across the basement floor, surrounding the darkness curiously. 

They should have all run while they had the chance. 

_"I need..."_ the darkness growled, reaching out to snatch the rats scurrying by, flinging them into it's creaking, gaping jaws. Blood and tissue dripped down to the floor. Pieces of fur and bone crunched between the monsters teeth as it swallowed it's foolish prey. The dying rats squealed as they were eaten alive, most scattering across the ground to escape the monstrous cloud, flailing around as they were picked up by their tails and bitten in half. 

_"Sssucculent...flessshy beassstsss..."_

The monster left a trail of blood in it's slaughter, slowly crawling it's way towards the cool dark corner, seeking shelter in the inky blackness, crunching away on small bones wedged in it's teeth. The remaining rats ran off in fear, frantically trampling each other to escape with their lives. No matter, it had had it's fill for the moment. Soon it would have the strength it needed to hunt down a proper meal. 

For now, it would wait. 

It was good at waiting. 

* * *

_I had strings_

_But now I'm free..._

* * *

As they get out onto the highway, Billy picks up speed and Max gets even more annoyed with him. It was foggy out and it looked like it was close to storming. Billy muttered something about the weather being shit and Max suddenly sees something big and black coming straight at them. 

"Billy, watch out!" she screamed, bracing as soon as the camaro was side swiped against the passenger side door. They spin across the road to the other side. The windshield cracked from the impact of whatever the hell hit them. 

Billy slammed his head against the window hard enough to crack the glass, knocking him unconscious. Max slams into her door and is dazed from the impact, seeing double for a moment. Shaking her head, Max looks up to see something dark slinking towards the car. Shaking in fear, she reaches across the middle to try and wake Billy up, grabbing at his arm. 

"Billy you have to wake up!" Max sobbed brokenly. "Billy! Billy, wake up, something out there! Wake up!"

The door flies open and Max is violently pulled from the car and tossed to the ground, dragged away towards the treeline. 

_"BILLY!"_

She screamed and clawed at the grass, feeling something wrap around her legs to pull her away, struggling to escape it's hold. The thing holding her flips her over onto her back suddenly and Max cries as black tendrils creep up her body towards her face, looking like something straight out of a horror movie. Inky slime slides up her neck and quickly covers her entire face, muffling her screams as it holds her down to slink down her throat. 

* * *

_I've got no strings_

_Now, I'm free_

* * *

Struggling to her feet, Max looked all around her for any sign of life. Whatever this place was, it wasn't right. There were storm clouds above her, stretched all the way across the sky as far as the eye could see. The fog around her was unnaturally thick, casting shadows from every direction. 

This wasn't right.

As Max turned around again she shrieked when she found a mirrored copy of herself staring back at her. It was even wearing the same clothes as her. Whatever it was, it was smiling, a twisted smile that didn't even look real. 

"What do you want?" she whispered, stepping away from the thing. 

It just grinned.

_"A puppet."_

Black smoke shot out and all Max could do was scream.

* * *

_There are..._

_No strings..._

_On me..._

* * *

In her room, Max sat on her bed in the dark with her hands cupped beneath her mouth. Hacking violently, she vomited black sludge into her palms and smiled when it began to twitch. She twirled the ink black thing between her fingers, watching it move around like a marionette, humming softly.

_"There are no ssstringsss on me..."_

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comment and let me know what your thoughts are! More updates soon to come!
> 
> Love you all <3


End file.
